Closure assembly



March 11, 1969 R. HASSLINGER CLOSURE AS 5 EMBLY Filed April :5. 1967FIG. 3

illlllilf INVENTOR RUSSELL HASSLINGER ATTORNEYS pwmisz, (Y/marvels,Motion,

I III! J 90220 oimojoz H United States Patent C 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A closure assembly for releasably joining and separatingstrips of tape provided with hook type hooking elements and loop typehooking elements including a closure member having guide portions forthe tapes, means for joining the tapes and means for separating thetapes.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a closure assemblyfor releasably joining and separating a pair of sheet members. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to an assembly for aligning andjoining hook and loop fasteners which are secured to the sheet membersin a special manner and for separating the fasteners. This inventionfurther relates to a closure member to be employed in the presentclosure assembly.

Hook and loop fasteners such as those described in US. Patents Nos.2,717,437 and 3,009,235 include separable members each comprising a basehaving raised hooking elements in generally loop form wherein thehooking elements of one tape member are cut at their outer extremitiesto form hooks but the hooking elements of the other tape member remainuncut loops. It is also contemplated that a given member may compriseboth hooks and loops. It is characteristic of this type fastener thatwhen the two members of the fastener are pressed together in face-tofacerelationship, there is substantial engagement of hook threads with loopthreads and a considerable effort must be applied to separate themembers unless they are peeled apart. By peeling, however, the membersmay be separated quite easily.

Although these hook and loop fasteners have an unlimited variety ofapplications some difliculty has been experienced in joining andseparating long lengths of hook and loop fasteners where the members tobe joined are not supported firmly or where the seam is in a relativelyinaccessible area. This is mainly due to the problem of aligning longlengths of hook and loop fastener tape and then applying a compressiveforce normal to the interfacial plane of engagement in order to join thefastening elements.

With the present invention it is now possible to employ longer lengthsof hook and loop fasteners in joining tent flaps, boat sails, largetarpaulins and many other structures Where similar problems exist.

Summary of the invention The closure assembly of the present inventioncomprises a first tape member having a surface defined by a plurality Vof upstanding hooking elements of flexible resilient matea second sheetmember. A closure member includes a first guide for retaining the firsttape member, the first guide having a longitudinal opening in itsoutwardly facing surface to receive the first sheet member; a secondguide for retaining the second tape member in alignment with butseparated from the first tape member is secured to the first guide, thesecond guide having a longitudinal opening in its outwardly facingsurface to receive the second sheet member. Means surrounding andforcing the tape members into face-to-face engagement When the closuremember is traversed in the closing direction is spaced axially from theguides.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a view of the completeclosure assembly;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the closure member;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the closure member taken substantiallyalong line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the closure member taken substantiallyalong line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the closure assembly taken substantiallyalong line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the closure assembly taken substantiallyalong line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring initially to FIGS. 1and 5, the closure assembly 10 comprises first and second sheet members11, 12 which are to be secured together. The sheet members 11, 12 may beflaps of a tent, tarpaulins or similar structures. As best shown inFIGS. 5 and '6, fastening tape members 13, 14 are secured at their outermarginal edges 15, 16 to the marginal edges 17, 18 of sheet members 11,12 respectively. The fastening tape members 13, 14 may be secured to thesheet members 11, 12 by stitching 21, 22 along the central portion ofthe tape members 13, 14 as shown in FIG. 6 or by other suitable means.If stitching is used, it may be desirable to include a second stitch 23,24 along the outer marginal portion of the tape members 13, 14. However,it is important that at least the inner marginal edges 25, 26 of thetape members 13 ,14 be free of the sheet members 11, 12 for reasons tobe explained hereafter.

Fastening tape 13 has a surface defined by a plurality of upstandinghooking elements 31 which are raised loop threads of synthetic materialsuch as super polyamide. The hooking elements 31 may be cut at theirouter extremities to form hooks as shown in the present embodiment orthey may be closed loops. Fastening tape 14 has a surface defined by aplurality of complementary hooking elements 32 which also are raisedloop threads of synthetic material such as super polyamide. Thecomplementary hooking elements 32 may be closed loops as shown in thepresent embodiment or they may be cut at their outer extremities to formhooks. While hook type hooking elements 31 have been provided onfastening tape 13 and loop type hooking elements 32 have been providedon fastening tape 14, it is intended that they may be interchanged andthus hooks provided on tape 14 and loops on tape 13. In fact, it iscontemplated that a given tape surface could comprise both hook type andloop type hooking elements. When tapes 13 and 14 are brought firmly intoface-to-face engagement, a large number of hooking elements 31 of tape13 engage a large number of complementary hooking 32 of tape 14. Theelements 31, 32

so engaged, resist separation but may be separated readily by a peelingforce applied substantially normal to the interfacial plane ofengagement.

A closure member 40 includes a first longitudinal guide channel 41 whichretains the first tape member 13 as shown best in FIGS. and 6. The firstguide channel 41 has a base portion 42 and a first edge portion 43folded over parallel to the base portion 42 but spaced therefrom by adistance not less than the thickness of tape 13. A second edge portion44 is also folded over parallel to the base portion 42 outwardly of thefirst edge portion 43. The separation between the first and second edgeportions 43, 44 defines a longitudinal opening 45 through which thesheet member 11 is received. The orientation of edge portions 43 and 44is determined by the direction in which sheet member 11 extends. Thefirst edge portion 43 always extends substantially over the innermarginal edge portion of tape 13 which is not secured to sheet member11. The second edge portion 44 overlaps the first edge portion 43 andthus both constrains the sheet member 11 in a proper orientation andprevents the tape member 13 from being pulled out of the guide 41.

A second longitudinal guide channel 46 retains the second tape member 14in alignment with and separated from the first tape member 13. Thesecond guide channel 46 is similar to the first guide channel 41 in thatit has a base portion 47 and a first edge portion 48 folded overparallel to the base portion 47 but spaced therefrom at a distance notless than the thickness of tape 14. A second edge portion 49 is alsofolded over parallel to the base portion 47 outwardly of and overlappingthe first edge portion 48. The separation between the first and secondedge portions 48, 49 defines a longitudinal opening 50 through whichsheet member 12 is received. End portions 51, 52 of second edge portion49 are oriented in planes substantially perpendicular to the plane ofbase portion 47 forming a means by which the closure member 40 may begripped to slide it along the interface between the tape members 13, 14.As in the case of the first guide 41, the first edge portion 48 ofsecond guide 46 extends substantially over that portion of tape 14 whichis not secured to sheet member 12. The second edge portion 49 overlapsthe first edge portion 48 both to constrain the sheet member 12 in itsproper orientation and to prevent tape member 14 from being pulled outof guide 46.

In the present embodiment, the guide channels 41, 46 are separatemembers mounted back-to-back and their respective base portions 42, 47together constitute a separator 53. It is contemplated, however, thatthe closure member 40 may be of unitary construction. In this alternateembodiment, the separator 53 is a single piece, surface 42 serving asthe base for guide channel 41 and surface 47 serving as the base forguide channel 46.

As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, a closure means 54 which is axiallyspaced from the separator 53, surrounds and forces tape members 13, 14into face-to-face engagement causing a large number of hooking elements31 to engage a large number of complementary hooking elements 32. Theclosure means includes base portions 55, 56 which are integral with thefirst edge portion 43 and second edge portion 44 respectively of thefirst guide 41. Edge portions 57, 58 are folded over parallel to thebase portions 55, 56 but spaced therefrom at a distance less than thecombined thickness of the tape members 13, 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the closure member 40 is traversed in theclosing direction along the interface between the tape members 13, 14,the guides 41, 46 maintain tape alignment and the closure means 54exerts an inwardly normal force along those portions of tape members 13,14 which pass therewithin which is sufficient to cause the engagement ofa large number of book type hooking elements 31 with a large number ofloop type hooking elements 32 thus firmly joining tape member 13 to tapemember 14. When the closure member 40 is traversed in the openingdirection, the separator 53 exerts an outwardly normal force along theinterface between the joined tape members 13, 14 which tends to peelthem apart thereby disengaging the hook type hooking elements 31 fromthe loop type hooking elements 32.

I claim:

1. A closure assembly for releasably joining sheet members comprising afirst tape member having a surface defined by a plurality of upstandinghooking elements of flexible resilient material secured to a first sheetmember; a second tape member having a surface defined by a plurality ofupstanding of complementary hooking elements of flexible resilientmaterial secured to a second sheet member; a closure member including afirst guide for retaining the first tape member and a second guidesecured to the first guide for retaining the second tape member inalignment with but separated from the first tape member, each guideincluding a base portion, a first edge portion folded over parallel tothe base portion but spaced therefrom and a second edge portion foldedover parallel to the base portion outwardly of and overlapping the firstedge portion, the separations between the respective first and secondedge portions defining longitudinal openings for receiving therespective sheet members; and means surrounding and forcing the tapemembers into face-to-face engagement spaced axially from the guides forcausing a large number of hooking elements on the first tape to engage alarge number of complementary hooking elements on the second tape whenthe closure member is traversed in a closing direction therebyconstituting a bond which resists separation but which is readilyseparable by peeling forces applied substantially normal to theinterfacial plane of engagement.

2. A closure assembly according to claim 1 including a separatorintegral with the guides for separating the tape members by applying apeeling force substantially normal to the interfacial plane ofengagement when the closure member is traversed in an opening direction.

3. A closure assembly according to claim 1 wherein the means surroundingand forcing the tape members into face-to-face engagement comprisesfirst and second base portions and first and second edge portions foldedover parallel to the base portions and spaced therefrom at a distanceless than the combined thickness of the tape members.

4. A slidable closure member for releasably fastening first and secondtape members to each other wherein the surface of the first tape memberis defined by a plurality of upstanding hooking elements of flexibleresilient material and the surface of the second tape member is definedby a plurality of upstanding complementary hooking elements of flexibleresilient material characterized in that pressing the surface defined bythe hooking elements into face-to-face engagement with the surfacedefined by the complementary hooking elements will result in a largenumber of hooking elements engaging in large number of complementaryhooking elements which resist separation but which are readily separableby peeling forces applied substantially normal to the interfacial planeof engagement comprising first and second guides for retaining the firstand second tape members in alignment but out of engagement with eachother, the guides being secured to one another and each guide includinga base portion, a first edge portion folded over parallel to the baseportion but spaced therefrom and a second edge portion folded overparallel to the base portion outwardly of and overlapping the first edgeportion, the separations between the respective first and second edgeportions defining longitudinal openings; and means surrounding andforcing the tape members into face-to-face engagement spaced axiallyfrom the guides for causing a large number of hooking elements on thefirst tape to engage a large number of complementary hooking elements onthe second tape when the closure member is traversed in closingdirection.

5. A closure member according to claim 4 including a separator integralwith the guides for separating the tape members by applying a peelingforce substantially normal to the interfacial plane of engagement whenthe closure member is traversed in an opening direction.

6. A closure member according to claim 4 wherein the means surroundingand forcing the tape members into face-to-face engagement comprisesfirst and second base portions and first and second edge portions foldedover parallel to the base portions and spaced therefrom at a distanceless than the combined thickness of the tape members.

6 References Cited 11/ 1960 Australia.

1/ 1950 France. 9/1951 Great Britain.

10 BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

